Immergut Festival 2026 Day 3

On Saturday, day 3, I was feeling a bit more alive than I had the day before. I made it to the first musical act of the day, Peki Momés, who played a chill, smooth brand of Turkish pop psychedelia. I thought of Khruangbin but with a different language and a few cultural touchstones swapped out. I wasn’t blown away, but it made for great listening while lying on a blanket.

[Peki Momés.]

The next band was La Sécurité from Montreal. I loved what I’d heard in advance, and on stage it was even better. They played off-kilter, fun, ecstatic art punk. The drums and vocals were both strong, I liked the synth touches and the fuzz bass, and I loved that the two guitarists twisted around each other and the other instruments but rarely played chords. I thoroughly enjoyed their set from start to finish. I managed to snag a setlist and then went to the merch booth to buy their album, which they graciously signed for me.

[La Sécurité.]

I caught some of Dressed Like Boys on the Birkenhain stage while I was getting food and visiting the merch booth. They sounded too tame and soft for my taste, so I didn’t stick around. I returned soon enough for quickly, quickly, but they also failed to impress me. They were just three dudes sitting down with a drum machine. They had no passion and nothing to help them stand out. The singer/keyboardist drove most of the sound, including covering the bass parts, but his voice was mellow and plain and the lyrics were generic. The two guitarists played restrained background parts, with the exception of one decent solo that briefly got my hopes up. In the right mood, they might’ve been chill and pleasant, but as it was, it was bland and boring. I left early.

[quickly, quickly.]

I took a break and came back for Brockhoff. They played very mainstream pop rock with a hint of Americana. They had some drive, and I could almost groove to it, but the lyrics were really bad and the vocal style was all breathy pop cliché. When she spoke of her love of Hannah Montana and rom-com stereotypes, I knew it was my time to leave.

Next up was Sprints, who finally offered some relief. Their garage punk was full of fuzz bass, great riffs, and political rage. The drummer and second guitarist were both excellent, and together they kept up a feverous pace. They played a cover of Le Tigre’s “Deceptacon” that was quite a thrill. Their penultimate song changed the mood and started slow and acoustic with spindly lead guitar, with something like a Bauhaus vibe. They slowly built it up and sped it up and it ended up as another thrasher, but with all the tension released, it went even harder than the rest. Naturally, there was plenty of moshing and circle running.

[Sprints.]

After an hour of dancing to Sprints, I was feeling psyched but losing steam. I decided I still had energy for Jehnny Beth, erstwhile singer of Savages, who I’ve been sorely missing. She appeared with her longtime collaborator and partner Johnny Hostile on guitar as well as a bassist and a drummer. I’d wondered how she would translate the intense electronic industrial sound of her solo albums to the stage, but they pulled it off without much in the way of backing tracks. They were really hard, heavy, and aggressive. It might’ve been too much if I hadn’t been in the right mood, but I was well-primed, again got a great spot at the front, and was just barely able to keep up. Instrumentally I didn’t find the set as compelling or complex as I’d hoped, but it still rocked. It was more focused on noise and pulsing, seething rhythm. I’m trying not to be disappointed that she didn’t play any Savages songs, but I can understand if she wants to establish herself as a solo artist independent of that band. That said, she covered “In Heaven”, the deranged classic from the Eraserhead soundtrack, notably covered by The Pixies (but also Bauhaus and plenty of others), as well as Björk’s “Army of Me”. That idiosyncratic bassline was immediately recognizable! She ran into the crowd and sang atop them at some point, and did some push-ups (in heels!) during the titular song and invited a woman from the crowd up to the stage to do some as well. First time I’ve seen that. She also explained that “Reality” is about growing up queer and not understanding it. Relatable.

[Jehnny Beth.]

I was thoroughly beat by that point, and it was two in the morning. I caught a bit of Valentino Vivace on my way out, and I liked their sweet Italian disco pop, but it was too thin and insubstantial. It was pleasant to hear drifting through the trees while brushing my teeth and admiring the full moon, though.

Scores:
Peki Momés: B
La Sécurité: A+
quickly, quickly: D+
Brockhoff: C-
Sprints: A
Jehnny Beth: B+

P.S.: A big thank you to my festival crew!

P.P.S.: Here are the setlists for the best three shows of the day. I got the printed sheets from the stage for all three.

La Sécurité:
01. Le Kick
02. Detour
03. Power Snoozer
04. Bingo
05. Waiting for Kenny
06. Deny
07. Trixie
08. Anyway
09. Hot Topic
10. Try Again
11. Dis-Moi
12. Suspens
13. Snack City

Sprints:
01. Descartes
02. Feast
03. Beg
04. Literary Mind
05. How Does the Story Go?
06. Shadow of Doubt
07. Something’s Gonna Happen
08. Heavy
09. Cathedral
10. Up and Comer
11. Pieces
12. Need
13. Deceptacon [Le Tigre cover]
14. Desire
15. Little Fix

Jehnny Beth:
01. Broken Rib
02. High Resolution Sadness
03. I Still Believe
04. No Good for People
05. Innocence
06. In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song) [David Lynch/Peter Ivers cover]
07. Push-Ups
08. Reality
09. Stop Me Now
10. Army of Me [Björk cover]
11. Out of My Reach
12. Obsession
13. How Could You
14. I’m the Man
15. I See Your Pain

[Karla Chubb of Sprints with the audience.]

Immergut Festival 2026 Day 2

After a good start on the first day, I slept in late and went to the store for more food and drinks. I wasn’t feeling the talks or the first band (Future Franz), but I was excited for RIP Magic and they did not disappoint. They only have five songs out, but their mix of sampled and synthesized sounds and their hypnotic energy had me curious. Their set was incredibly loud and the mix was dominated by their synths. Their bassist played with thick fuzz and lots of chords, but his parts were mere texture under the heavy low end of the synths. The drummer even seemed bored, which was understandable since they also played with programmed beats that had more complex rhythmic layers. Despite that, I admired their lack of guitar. The whole thing was intense and propulsive. I was fully carried away by it. I later realized the singer is also the keyboardist of Sorry, who played the next day.

[RIP Magic.]

I was feeling charged up by that point and stuck around for Kapa Tult even though I found their recordings somewhat half-baked. I kept thinking I was about ready to leave in search of food or friends, but every song won me over and left me wanting more. They played a fun mix of punky indie pop á la Die Braut haut ins Auge or Ideal, and the lyrics were clever, relatable tales of modernity and relationships, even if they were a bit straight for my taste. I liked the Moe Tucker-style drums and that the drummer got to sing lead on one song. This may have been the first time I’ve seen a band composed of three people I read as women and one man, and the man played bass!

[Kapa Tult.]

The weather forecast had predicted a warm and sunny day, but it started to get overcast, windy, and ultimately rainy, which dampened my mood. I checked out Ebbb but found them contentless and boring. They were dancey but too pop. There was no style, no depth.

There was also a change in schedule announced around then, as Mine dropped out due to sudden sickness. Hence, Kabeaushé played earlier and once we realized it, we rushed to the Zeltbühne to catch his set. It was just the singer, a drummer, and a lot of prerecorded tracks. The drummer was great, and Kabeaushé himself was fully charged up, but the intensity was overwhelming. If his set had been at the originally scheduled time after midnight, I might’ve been better prepared for that level of energy, but as it was, I just couldn’t get into it. The lack of live instrumentation also left me wanting some more variety. I couldn’t hang.

I was also interested in Fuffifufzich and particularly Chloe Slater, but the rain had really picked up and I just wasn’t in the mood to venture back out. Of course, the rain stopped once I’d given up, and I caught a bit of Slater while I was brushing my teeth. She closed her set with a cover of Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag”. Kind of a weird choice, right? I have to admit I do like the song, but I think that’s just because it got stuck in some corner of my adolescent brain. I once saw Wheatus back in 2005 because my freshman year college roommate’s band was opening for them at the Creepy Crawl in St. Louis. Too bad I wasn’t writing reviews back then. I don’t think it was a good one. Anyway…

Scores:
RIP Magic: A
Kapa Tult: B+
Ebbb: D
Kabeaushé: C-

Immergut Festival 2026 Day 1

I had such a good time at Immergut last year that I knew I wanted to come back this year. This time I came better prepared and with an even larger crew.

After arriving early-ish on Thursday and setting up the campsite, I made it to the first show of the festival: Snuggle on the Birkenhain stage. They played a very chill sort of slowcore shoegaze, a bit in the vein of Slowdive or Low. The lack of a bassist struck me as odd at first, but then I realized the drummer had pads for the bass parts and other samples, and I was impressed by how well he held it all down. I liked the guitars and the vocals were fine, but they were just plain too mellow. I like that vibe but I wanted a little more energy.

[Snuggle.]

My wish was granted with the next act, Ellis D. As a five-piece with two guitars, keyboard, bass, and drums, they had plenty of capacity to turn it up and get the crowd going. They started playing fairly heavy psychedelic rock, somewhere between punk and post-punk. In particular, the singer’s androgynous, wild, ebullient energy reminded me of The Cramps. It turns out that he also drums with Fat Dog, who performed last year (although I unfortunately missed them). Their set gradually involved more extended jams including multiple keyboard noise solos. The singer jumped into the crowd three times. I appreciated that they were going hard, but I started to feel a bit repetition. It seemed like every song had a fakeout break that went just long enough for people to start clapping before the band struck it back up. And the second guitarist made quite a contradiction with his stony lack of expression.

[Ellis D.]

They were followed by Gelée, a Pet Shop Boys/Erasure-style synthpop duo in which a man played keyboards and ran the drum machine while a woman sang and danced. Confusingly, their Bandcamp page shows three people, but I only saw the two. I liked the idea, and while the instrumentation and vocals were fairly good, I found the execution rather cheesy. The bad lyrics drove me off. I needed a bit of a break anyway.

[Gelée.]

I came back before long to see Heidi Curtis. What I’d heard before gave me big Neko Case vibes, and while her voice was quite strong and indeed reminiscent of Case, the music was mostly stereotypical pop. Although she hails from northern England, the band sounded like Americana. I liked that the bassist played some keyboard, and then that Curtis moved to the keys herself for a couple songs, including a cover of Patti Smith’s “Because the Night”. I like that song, but I’m continually surprised by how well Germans, even ones younger than me, seem to know and love it too. I got bored not long after that, though. The music was just too predictable.

[Heidi Curtis.]

I was originally going to skip Waving the Guns, but my crew was enthusiastic so I joined them. I’m glad I did. I often struggle to get into Deutschrap (too many cis white guys trying to act hard) but I appreciated the unrepentantly leftist lyrics. I mean, I almost felt like the singer’s requests for FLINTA* moshpits were a little over the top. The beats were solid and I loved the live drums. The three performers were a great match for each other and the whole set worked great in that environment. They brought Martha, the singer of Gelée, up on stage to sing with them as well, which was an excellent addition. I enjoyed myself quite a bit more than I’d expected.

I caught a bit of Die Höchste Eisenbahn immediately afterwards as they were on the way to the camping area anyway. They had a bunch of interesting-looking keyboards on stage, but weren’t making a lot of use of them. Their indie pop was too clean and plain for my taste. I left early and called it a night.

[Die Höchste Eisenbahn.]

Scores:
Snuggle: B-
Ellis D: B+
Gelée: C-
Heidi Curtis: C+
Waving the Guns: A-
Die Höchste Eisenbahn: C-

Immergut Festival 2025 Day 3

I slept worse than the night before, but took it easy and relaxed until the performances began. First up was Roller Derby, who I’d seen a few years ago at Synästhesie. I decided to give them another shot, but basically had the same feeling as last time. I liked the hints of dream pop and Cocteau Twins guitar, but they were too light and breezy for me to really dig into. The official schedule listed a surprise for the next slot, which turned out to be Laura Lee & The Jettes. They had a pretty generic sound and I didn’t stick around for more than a few minutes.

I came back for Mary in the Junkyard, whose self-description as an “angry weepy chaos rok trio” was rather exaggerated. (Well, they are a trio.) I didn’t find them chaotic or angry at all. There were a few hints of drama but they were mostly chill. Perhaps too chill. A few too many songs lacked percussion and just featured guitar or bass and violin. I saw a lot of opportunity, and they were a good band to listen to while lazily lying on a blanket, but I guess I craved a bit of the advertised chaos.

They were followed by Drangsal, who I knew only as the main project of Max Gruber, whose side project Die Mausis is a collaboration with Stella Sommer of Die Heiterkeit. With seven synthesizers and six musicians on stage, of which four occupied space somewhere in the mid-range, they summoned a thick, heavy wall of sound. The individual instruments were rather indistinct while Gruber’s melodramatic voice was foregrounded. They initially played a dark sort of post-punk that was right on the line for me, and then they switched to a more standard pop-rock style and totally lost me. I left.

[Drangsal.]

After another break, I came back for Erobique. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a solo musician known best as a soundtrack producer, DJ, and remixer. He appeared behind an array of keyboards, accompanied only by a drummer. I was skeptical, but he won me over immediately. He had a casual, laid-back demeanor but played exceptionally well. He built up layers of beats and synths and maintained a fun, chill, groovy vibe the whole time. The live drummer really helped. The highlights were whenever he grabbed a melodica, came out from behind his rig, and played the instrument better than I’ve ever seen it done while dancing around the stage. This was a performer who was clearly optimized for the festival atmosphere. Some songs’ themes, like “Urlaub in Italien” (“Holiday in Italy”), were maybe just a bit cringe, but it didn’t bother me. I was wholly taken in.

[Erobique. Look, I was too busy grooving in the back where there was space to move freely to be bothered to take a better picture.]

After that came Isolation Berlin. They started with an unexpectedly heavy, dark, angry energy, which was a bit intense and almost too much for me. But after a few songs, they suddenly shifted into their more typical new wave indie rock sound, which I found much more charming and sweet. They played most of their classics, as well as some newer songs that were just as good, like “Verliebt in dieses Lied”. Their trademark seems to be somewhat depressing lyrics over good guitar music with a little synth, buoyed by the expressiveness and curious charm of their vocalist. “Alles grau” was great, but it was a little weird that someone crowdsurfed to it. Not much later, two people with signs asking the band to show solidarity with Palestine were escorted out after they shouted something I couldn’t discern between songs. That wasn’t a great look. Other than that and the few bits of unbridled anger, they were very much up my alley.

I was starting to lose energy, and I wasn’t expecting that I would be into Nilüfer Yanya, but she came with a full band, good grooves, and a little more edge than I had anticipated. I’d put her last record somewhere on the more accessible side of the pop spectrum, but her live set seemed like something else. I couldn’t keep up and headed back to the tent, although I continued to like what I could hear while I was brushing my teeth.

And that was that. The next morning I packed up and came back to Berlin. Not a bad experience for my first European outdoor festival! I had a great time, even if I still struggle to deal with people that don’t seem to know how to share space respectfully. I liked that the festival was on the relatively smaller size (I believe around 5000 people), that all the food was vegetarian and every vendor had vegan options, and that prices were reasonable. It shows that it’s organized by an e.V., a nonprofit association.

Scores:
Roller Derby: C+
Mary in the Junkyard: B-
Drangsal: C
Erobique: A-
Isolation Berlin: B+

Thanks to my fellow festival crew!

Immergut Festival 2025 Day 2

Somehow I managed to get some sleep after my first day at Immergut. It was still sprinkling here and there for a bit, but the day turned increasingly pleasant. In the meantime, I walked to the nearby grocery store and soaked in the atmosphere.

At the start of day’s formal activities, I listened to Charlotte Brandi of Me and My Drummer read from her new book, Fischtage, while I sat on a blanket and ate a wrap. The parts she read dealt with coming to terms with the frustrating, difficult, and bizarre aspects of her childhood, which gave me gender feelings but didn’t interest me much. But as a surprise ending, she played a haunting, mesmerizing rendition of a Björk song solo on keyboard. She was quickly followed by Beharie from Norway, who seemed friendly, but played rather tame singer-songwriter pop. I wasn’t inspired to stick around.

I took a break and came back for Sophia Kennedy. I couldn’t really see the band at all, but it seemed she was using samples or backing tracks to augment the drummer, bassist/synth player, and her own keyboard. Instead of being distracting or taking away from the intensity or dynamics of the show, it instead felt like a proper production. The band’s sound was huge and immersive, but neither heavy nor dark. I was totally lost in it, or at least until there was some sort of incident that led to a person getting led away by medics. Not long later, someone in the band missed a cue and they had to start a song over, although they recovered quickly and barely seemed thrown off. Despite the distractions, I was thoroughly impressed. The live set somehow totally eclipsed her studio recordings.

Next up was Dog Race. I was anticipating darkwave, but they were sparser and more foreboding than I’d expected. The singer had a strong, deep voice, but her style was serious and anachronistic, and her band seemed incongruously young and bored. I found their unforgiving darkness unsettling, so I left.

[Dog Race.]

Back outside was Porridge Radio, who are apparently on a farewell tour. They started strong with a lot of energy and reminded me of the early 90s alternative rock heyday. They had that same magic sense of looseness that comes off as raw authenticity, charm, and unbridled emotion. I wanted more of their harmonies and dynamics, but relaxed into their familiar vibe regardless. They gradually slowed down and took things down a notch, and thus I got bored and restless. Sure enough, right as I left to take a break, it sounded like they were picking up again. I wish they’d been able to find a better balance, or that they’d adapted their set better to the festival atmosphere.

[Porridge Radio.]

I came back for Bilderbuch, who seemed to draw the largest crowd of the weekend. My crew wanted a space up near the front, which was hard for me to handle, so I basically squeezed in the middle of them to have a bit of a protective buffer, and that helped. The band came out in full force with walls of video screens and a loud, thick, highly produced sound. They played tight and strong like a well-oiled, efficient engine. Their singer and lead guitarist were showy and played to the crowd. I was fairly well engaged by the experience, but increasingly distracted by their apparently cocaine-fueled cishet masculinity. It occurred to me that that was the same energy that I was getting from the oblivious, obnoxious partiers at the campsite, and once I had that realization, I couldn’t enjoy it any further. I left, although I could still see and hear part of their last songs while brushing my teeth. A setlist has been posted online, but I cannot vouch for it.

Scores:
Sophia Kennedy: A
Dog Race: C-
Porridge Radio: B
Bilderbuch: B-

Immergut Festival 2025 Day 1

At long last, I’m finally through the worst of my health needs that limited my time, energy, and patience for going to shows. Festivals have been entirely out of the equation for a while. I missed the 2023 iteration of Synästhesie and it now appears to be defunct or at least dormant. However, after my partner went to Immergut last year with friends, she encouraged me to join her this year. This was my first outdoor festival in Europe (well, not counting Melodica), and my first ever where I camped on site.

After taking the train to Neustrelitz, catching a short festival shuttle ride on a restored older train, and setting up the campsite, I started my musical experience with Sofie Royer. I was curious about her alleged blend of disco, rock, and synthpop, but the result wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped. Her voice was good, and I admired her violin skills, but she relied on backing tracks to fill out most of her sound, including even guitar solos. Her bassist was funky and the drummer put down some decent grooves, but it was weird to have a lead guitar part and her own harmonies played from tape. It felt too much like karaoke.

[Sofie Royer.]

Immediately following was Mel D of Mischgewebe. I was initially again disappointed, as I was expecting something of a spooky, mysterious vibe based on what I’d heard beforehand. Instead, she played a pretty standard form of indie rock that highlighted her strong voice. I liked her shy bassist and in particular her harmonies. The drummer also added some extra touches on keyboard and chimes and occasionally sang a backing part as well. Mel’s guitar leads were rather simple, but the general vibe was pleasant.

[Mel D.]

I took a break but ended up catching most of strongboi’s set anyway while waiting in an unusually slow-moving line for a burrito. I found their R&B to be much too smooth and clean, and the lyrics were upsettingly clichéd. Thankfully I received and consumed my burrito in time to catch most of Paula Dalla Corte’s set. She was full of energy and drama as befits a TV pop star of her standing. Her voice was even stronger than the preceding women I’d seen, but the instrumentation was rote and absent of surprises. At least she didn’t seem to be relying on backing tracks, or they were subtle enough to not be distracting. Her band offered a tiny hint of harmony that left me wanting more.

My real hope for the day (if not the festival!) was International Music, and they didn’t disappoint. The trio was tight, upbeat, and in a good mood. Their wry, absurd humor was at the fore, and they used their limited instruments, effects, and voices to full effect. I felt like there was still a touch of something missing from the records, but one of my crew said it sounded to him like there was more going on than he could see. The set was fun and I was glad their playful psychedelia still translated to the stage. Their set was a mix from their three albums, with a slight bias against the second (Ententraum, 2021), which was after all their least successful. I was near the front and realized much of the crowd was singing along. I was too when I remembered the words. This was the sort of experience that made me feel like a properly acclimated German (for better or worse).

[International Music.]

The sets were running late by that point, and I was tired from a full day and week. I made it a relatively early night and went to bed, or at least tried to. The nearby bros did their best to piss off the entire campsite with a loud boombox and terrible music. Somehow I eventually drifted off, probably thanks to the rain.

Scores:
Sofie Royer: C
Mel D: B
strongboi: D
Paula Dalla Corte: B-
International Music: A